Devotionals

The importance of the Passover to the life of the old covenant people of God should clue us in on the centrality of the new covenant sacraments to the Christian life. These ordinances are not to be neglected but are ...Read More

Though not himself a Christian, Lord Alfred Tennyson captures the pervasiveness of sin in his poem “The Holy Grail”: “In me lived a sin / So strange, of such a kind, that all of pure, / Noble and knightly in ...Read More

The requirement for the people to afflict themselves on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–34), a shorthand reference to self-examination and repentance, was a clear sign that the sacrifices on that day would be effectual only when the people were ...Read More

Hezekiah’s sin offerings did not effect the cleansing the people needed, but we can still learn much from his zeal to restore true worship. The most important reformation that ever takes place in the life of the church is a ...Read More

That an intentional sin is not always a high-handed sin is seen in God’s willingness to forgive sins that were clearly intentional (2 Sam. 11–12). Only those who are unconverted may sin with a high hand, for a converted person ...Read More

God’s prophetic word to Israel is a word for us this day: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). Even if we feel like we have fallen too far for the Lord’s ...Read More

As we have seen, there are many layers to the grain offering. This offering emphasizes the need to dedicate ourselves to the Lord and provide for the work of the clergy. It also encourages us to recognize that all we ...Read More

Worship, especially the Lord’s Supper, is always an occasion for covenant renewal. John Calvin writes that “the covenant, which he once sanctioned by his blood he in a manner renews, or continues, in so far as regards the confirmation of ...Read More

The spontaneous expressions of gratitude portrayed in Israel’s peace offerings remind us that we should never forget or take lightly the peace we have with our Lord. Being called and justified, each time we think on the truth that Christ ...Read More

Knowing that God is so holy that He must execute His wrath encourages us to see that no wrong will escape His judgment. Knowing that God is so merciful that He allows a substitute to bear His wrath in our ...Read More